Fluid pressure-based surgical tools for cutting bone and the like can offer some advantages over traditional surgical cutting devices and methodologies. In particular, high pressure fluid jets tend to emulsify the target material, thus avoiding thermal damage which can arise from using laser cutters and electrosurgical cutters. The emulsified material can also be easily transported away from the surgical site by aspiration. Indeed, the fact that many high pressure fluid jet cutting devices include aspiration and evacuation as an integral portion of the device can be an added benefit for many surgical procedures.
One drawback associated with current fluid pressure-based surgical systems which are used to cut bone and the like is that they typically require ultra-high operating pressures, and the delivery of such hydraulic pressure using a conservatively sized operating room pump and surgical instruments delicate enough to meet the surgeon's demands can often be problematic.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved fluid pressure-based surgical tool, and in particular a fluid pressure-based surgical tool for cutting hard material.